Slicing machine



Dec. 3,1925. 1,564,459

W. B. WOLFF SLICING MACHINE Filed Dec. 22; 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet. 1

Jay

EPTZENT ()FHCE.

WALLACE B. WOLFE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SLICING- MACHINE.

Application filed December 22, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVALLAon B. Wonrr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of 1111- nois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Slicing Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a meat slicing mechine and particularly to aslicing machine in which the slicing mechanism is housed in an outershell or covering of vitreous White enamel. One object of the inventionis to permit the protection of a slicing machine structure by vitreousenamel covering. Another object is to permit the application of such acovering without cracking or damaging the enamel in the course ofmanufacture of the machine. Another object is to permit the applicationof a vitreous covering to a slicing machine Without affecting the mainslicing machine frame or the alignment and accuracy of its bearings.Other objects will appear from time to time in the course of thespecification and claims.

1 illustrate the invention more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying draw ings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view;

Figure 2 is a side elevation and skeleton view;

Figure 3 is an end elevation and skele ton view;

Figure l is a section on the line 4l-t of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 1.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specificationand drawings.

A is any suitable upper housing element which is provided with adownwardly extending circumferential flange A adapted to overhang andoverlap the upper edge A of the lower housing member [if The housingformed by the two overlapping members A and A entirely encloses thedriving and frame mechanism of the slicing machine but is apertured, aswill later appear, to permit the penetration of the up wardly oroutwardly projecting members of the slicing machine, and to permit thesecuring of the housing elements to the slicing machine frame.

Serial No. 757,307.

The particular details of frame and the bearings and working parts neednot be described in complete detail. I provide a lower frame member B,to which the lower housing member A is secured, for example by means ofthe bolts B and the nuts B In practice I find that it is sufiicient thusto secure the housing element at four points only. It will be understoodthat only the sides of the housing A are enameled, the bottom beinginvisible.

B is a frame supporting foot adapted to ienetrate throuugh the apertureA of the housing member A the aperture being large enough for ampleclearance. Where the slicing machine is to be set on a counter, the feetmay be provided with the frictional or yielding pads 13*. It will beunderstood that there are four of the feet B one at each corner of theslicing machine.

All the bearings for the moving parts are mounted in and supported bythe frame structure, and the housing is merely a sheathing, with nosupporting function.

G, for example, is a bearing for the main drive shaft 0 and is alignedwith an aperture C in the side of the housing member A Through thisaperture the inwardly projecting hub C of the wheel C may penetrate, itbeing understood that the hub is held against rotation in relation tothe shaft C by the notch O which receives the pin C on the shaft. G isany suitable securing bolt and C the nut for drawing the hub down uponthe shaft. C is the usual combined drive and fly wheel integral with thehub C and provided with a handle C The wheel and hub may be finished invitreous enamel, and if, in the course of securing the hub to the shaftthe inner edge of the hub becomes battered or cracked, the defacedenamel will be concealed, since it penetrates through the aperture C andlies within the housing element A.

pwardly projecting from the bearing C is the arm D which is a typicalsupporting member, for the housing section. It will be understood that agenerally similar supportmember is positioned at each corner of theslicing machine for example the support D shown at the left of Figure 2.Thus the housing member A is supported at its four corners. In order toprevent breakage of the enamel surface I provide a yielding supthesupporting port which consists of the washer l) and the spiral spring Dbetween the support D and the housing member A. Above the housing memberis the yielding washer D*. D is a track supporting knob which alsoserves to hold the housing A in position, and is penetrated by the boltD screw-threaded into the top of the support D. l) is a track, round incross section, connecting and supported by the two similar knobs D D isa square track extending between the supporting knobs D which may besimilarly secured to upwardly projecting supporting members similar to Dand D The apertures in the member A are large enough to permit ampleclearance, but are washed by the knobs.

E is a rotaryknife mounted on the knife support E and driven from thedrive shaft C by any suitable driving connection, the details of whichform no part of the present invention.

G is a meat supporting carriage adapted to be reciprocated back andforth along the tracks D and D past the effective ed e of the knife E,in response to rotation of the shaft C G is a meat support adapted to bemoved along the carriage G toward the knife E, in automatic response toeach reciprocation of the carriage G, in order to feed the meat Gforward a distance equal to the thickness of each successive slice. isany suitable clamp for holding the meat in position on the carriage Gand G is a removable meat supporting plate.

It will be understood that the details of the meat carriage form no partof the present invention but are inserted merely to make the function ofthe entire device understandable.

H is any suitable slice receiving shelf adapted to receive the slices asthey are severed by the knife. it is supported, for example on bracketsH which are secured, through apertures in the housing A to the interiorframe member for example by bolts H J is a base for a knife guard, notherein shown, which may be secured for example by the bolts J which passthrough the aperture ?l in the housing member A, to the frame projectionJ K is a channel member having the externally projecting flanges K thesupporting functions of which need not be considered in detail. It issecured in any suitable manner to the frame projection 1' which passthrough the aperture or identat on K formed in both housing members.

It will be realized that whereas I have shown a practical operativedevice that nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape,number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of myinvention and that I wish my drawings and description to be taken as ina broad sense diagrammatic rather than as limiting me to the specificform of apparatus therein descril'icd and shown.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

The gci'ieral mechanism of the slicing machine herein shown is old andneeds no extended discussion. The rotation of the main shaft (1 whetherthrough the manual wheel C or through a connection to some other powersource, serves through any suitable gearing, to rotate the knife l-l andalso to reciprocate the carriage G. along the tracks D and D past thecutting edge of the knife. The carriage G is moved to the left, as shownin Figure 1, a thickness equal to the desired slice, in automaticresponse to ach reciprocation.

it has in the past been the practice to paint the slicing ol'i' certainportions in metal. For sanitary reasons, as well as for ornai'nentalappearance, it is highly desirable to finish slicing machines in whiteenamel. It has heretofore been pr ctically impossible to do this, forthe following two reasons. In the first place, the enameling of metalnecessitates a heat treatment of the metal which may raise itsten'iperature as high as from 17 00 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. If thevarious parts have been machined, the effect of the heat treatment is toso warp and deform the castings as to render them absolutely unusable.On the other hand, if the parts are enameled before they are machined,the machining will crack and break the enamel on so many castings as torender the cost of manufacture prohibitive.

I avoid both objections by constructing a slicing machine with aninterior frame structure in which the various rotating parts aremounted. "the structure is entirely independent of the sanitary enamelhousing, and

therefore is in no way affected by the heat treatment of the housing.For the supporting structure I provide a two part housing of whiteenameled metal, which consists of an upper member A and a lower mend;A". 'llhe upper member rests upon four upwardly projecting arms of whichD and D- are typical. These arms support the knobs D and D to which thetracks D and D are scoured. Since the .lililQl is liable to crack andbreak, if subjected to shock or strain, 1 mount the housing member Ayieldingly by placing between it and the arm D the washer D and thespiral spring D. Beneath the knob 13 or D and above the member A, lposition the yielding washer l)". Thus when the bolt D is tightened, ayielding washer presses the member A downwardly against a coil spring.and not only is the member i i freed from the minor shocks of operation,but it is positively cushioned. The clearance is so great that whereasthe knob D or 1) machine housing, and to finish overhangs thecircumference of the aperture, entirely masking it, at no point is itsinner edge in contact with the knob. This permits adjustment of thehousing and allows for variations in size, due to the heat treating.

In order to prevent positive engagement between the two housingelements, I make the upper housing A outwardly overlap and overhang asat A the upper edge A of the lower housing member A The lower memher,like the upper, is fastened to the frame at four points, by the bolts I3and the nuts I5 ii cushioning is unnecessary, since the lJOlltOll'l ofthe housing is not enameled, being invisible. The cleannte between theaperture it and the stud or foot 13 is suflicient to permit minorvariations in the size of the heat treated housing, as is the case withthe apertures of the upper housing.

Both housings are apertured wherever necessary to admit the passage ofoutwardly projecting members, and these members are without exceptionsecured, not to the housing elements, but to the frame within thehousing.

I clann:

l. A slicing machine comprising in part a drive shaft and a rotaryknife, a frame adapted to support the moving and rotating parts, and ahousing for said frame, structurally independent thereof and removablysecured thereto, comprisin an upper and a lower housing member, theupper member overhanging and overlapping the lower member but out ofcontact therewith.

2. In a slicing machine an enclosed sup: porting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame, for all the moving parts of said slicingmachine, and a housing, structurally separate from said frame, andyieldingly n'iounted thereon.

SfIn a slicing machine an interior supporting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame, for all the moving parts of said slicingmachine, and a housing, structurally separate from said frame, andsecured thereto, comprising an upper housing member and a lower housingmemb r, the upper housing member overlapping the lower, about the sidesof the frame.

In a slicing machine an interior supporting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame, for all moving parts of said slicing machine,and a housing, mounted. on said frame, the upper section f said housingbeing independently secured to the top of said frame and the lowerpartof said housing being independently secured to the bottom of saidframe, said housing members being structurally separate.

5. In a slicing machine an interior supporting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame for all moving parts of said machine, and asectional housing mounted on ,JAltl frame, the various sections of saidhousing being independently secured to said frame.

6. In a slicing machine on interior supporting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame for all moving parts of said machine, and asectional housing mounted on said frame, the various sections of saidhousing being independently secured to said frame, and out of contactwith each other.

T. In a slicing machine an interior supporting frantic, bearing members,supported by said frame, for all the moving parts of said slicingmachine, a housing of metal coated with a vitreous enamel, structurallyseparate from said frame, and secured thereto comprising an upperhousing element and a lower housing element, the upper element outwardlyoverlapping and overhanging the lower.

8. In a slicing machine an interior supporting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame, for all the moving parts of said slicingmachine, a housing of metal coated with a vitreous enamel, structurallyseparate from said frame, and secured thereto, comprising an upperhousing element and a lower housing element, the upper element outwardlyoverlapping and overhanging the lower, the upper element beingyieldingly mounted on the frame.

9. In a slicing machine an interior supporting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame, for the moving parts of said slicing machine, ahousing of relatively breakable material, structurally separate fromsaid frame, and yieldingly mounted thereupon.

10. In a slicing machine an interior supporting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame, for all the moving parts of said slicingmachine, and a housing secured to said frame, such housing beingstructurally separate from said frame and out of contact therewithexcept at the points of attachment.

11. In a slicing machine an interior supporting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame, for all the moving parts of said slicingmachine, and a housingsecured to said frame, such housing being structurally separate from said frame and out of contact therewith exceptat thepoints of attachment, comprising a plurality of sections eachindependently secured to said frame.

12. Ina slicing machine an interior supporting frame, bearing members,supported by said frame, for all the moving parts of said slicingmachine, and a housing secured to said frame, such housing beingstructurally separate from said frame and out of contact therewithexcept at the points of attachment, comprising an upper and a lowersection, the upper section overhanging and overlapping the lowersection.

13. In a slicing machine an interior supporting frame bearing ineinbers,supported by said frame, for the moving parts of said machine a housingoi relatively breakable material mounted on said frame, apertures insaid housing to permit the projection therethrough of supporting framemembers, said apertures being substantially larger than the memberswhich project theretln'ough, and means for mashing said aperlinres.

14. in a slicing machine, an interior supporting frame, bearing members,associated with said frame, for all the moving parts of said sli ingmachine, and a housing secured to said frame, and structurally separateand removable therefrom and out of contact therewith except at arelatively small number of points of attachment, said housing comprisingan upper and a lower section, said sections being out of contact witheach other and being independently mounted upon the frame, the uppersection being yieldingl y mounted in relation to the frame, the lowersection being fixed in relation thereto.

Signed at: Chicago county of Cook and State of lllinois, this 12th dayof December 1924.

lVALLAC E B. WOLFE

